Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Evil In Your Eyelashes

The eyelash is an important feature of the human eye. Eyelashes help to protect our eyes from debris and most importantly they make our eyes sparkle (if you know what I mean).

Image: supermodels-secrets.com.my

Unfortunately, the eyelash is not as innocent as it seems. Even the most seductive eyes on Earth play host to a type of mite called Demodex. Yes. You have mites living in your eyelashes.

Image: Science Photo Library

Demodex is a tiny harmless parasitic mite living in the hair follicles of mammals. Demodex found on humans typically thrives near the nose, the eyelashes and eyebrows. And they look like caterpillars from hell. They feed off of the dead skin cells and oil collected in human follicles, so they are practically harmless to humans, though occasionally they may cause irritation to our eyelids.

Image: Science Photo Library

The parasite normally come out onto your face to party and get drunk and have intercourse at night, then return to your follicles to lay up to 25 eggs. The six-legged larvae hatch after three to four days and develop into adults in about seven days. Dead mites decompose inside the hair follicles, so your eyelids are basically the playground, home, and grave for these mites.

Though they are considered harmless, sometimes they can cause skin disease. In some cases, bacterium Bacillus oleronius found in the mites can cause a skin disease called Rosacea, a condition whereby a patient's skin becomes red and develops pimples.

Image: rosacea-ltd.com

98% of people have these mites lurking in their eyelashes--you and I, your dad and mom, Tom Cruise, Christian Bale, Wang Lee Hom, and beauty queens.
The truth is sometimes hard to swallow. I know.